From the Stacks: June 16, 2006

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It's hard not to be thrilled with the state of the world when you find a free bicycling magazine.? Momentum unfortunately is only free in major metro British Columbia, but it is available online and by subscription. The June/July issue is a treat for biker likers of all degrees. The feature story highlights two gals and their 'fixies,' which are bikes without a freewheel, meaning there is no coasting, nor need for brakes (though the bikes do have one hand brake). In 'Bicycle Gang Basics,' L.R. Abramson lays out how to reclaim the two-wheeled rebel-rousing of your youth, and 'Tall Bike Tales' features of a spread on Vancouver's lumbering cyclists. -- Rachel Anderson

Standing on the cover of the final print issue of Speakeasy, the publication of the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and Utne Independent Press Award nominee in 2003, is a seemingly condemned man, blindfolded, with a cigarette in his mouth. But the issue remains upbeat, exploring the transformative power of poetry in Nicaragua. Freedom fighters in the country have carried poetry alongside rifles and other implements of war. In the words of the one of the founders of the Sandinista movement Tomas Borge, the revolution was 'made with guitars and poems and with bullets.' The issue also contains an interview with animal rights philosopher Peter Singer, and poetry by Eduardo Galeano. The magazine will return in online form in the fall with 'a fresh and energetic new website,' writes editor Bart Schneider. -- Bennett Gordon

he word that comes to mind when looking at the 42nd issue of Giant Robot, a glossy devoted to Asian pop culture, is 'plush.' The issue profiles David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, who built a plush empire around the Uglydoll stuffed character. The two sit down with Giant Robot to talk about the maturation of the Uglydoll, the benefits of art school, and resisting the lure of selling out. Says Horavath: 'It was tough turning [the big companies] down. It was like a test.' The issue also profiles yaoi manga artist Kazuma Kodaka, and covers how to beat someone up with a cell phone. -- Bennett Gordon

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